Discrimination
This is a fanfic that's going to be written by Artemis the FowlWing and WOF Lover! It's for the Cooperative Writing Contest! Although it doesn't have a lot yet, we're working on it XD Chapter One A small, wet wad of scroll hit Starrysky on the shoulder, sticking with an audible gloop as passerby laughed. Grimacing and scooping it off with a free talon, he sighed, feeling more alone than ever. "First day of school, and already a hungry loser," he whispered to the forlorn chicken in his claws who was clearly relenting its imminent demise but, being a chicken, unable to do anything about it. "You're not the only one feeling miserable," an ugly grey dragon half-sighed, half-growled as she came to stand beside him, although it was hard for her due to Starrysky's abnormally long wings. "You're a hybrid too, aren't you? You sure look like one." He nodded sadly, the chicken bobbing its head as if mirroring him. "This is my second year here and let me tell you... being a hybrid is hard..." she continued, plucking the chicken out of his talons and petting it. "You won't believe what I've been through..." Her dark eyes found his, hard and cold. Averting his own -- not wanting to seem as if he had been staring at her while she talked -- Starrysky instead took the chicken back, noticing as he did so several strange scars twirling up her talons, around her arms, across her back, a huge scar, white against the gray scales of her snout... Suddenly realizing that now he really was staring, he looked down, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. That was so embarrassing, I di - " the words spilled out of his mouth, unbidden, but she cut him off. "I already know." she growled. Starrysky looked up at her again, startled. "They did this to me. The other students. They did this to me and-and the worst part is..." she stopped, squeezing the chicken in her talons, her eyes full of tears as the memories flooded back. Replaying over and over in her mind. Over and over. The claws she felt, raking against her back. A talon raised, only to smack her down. Starrysky stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt and slightly confused and fearful about what might come next. "Nobody cared... nobody cares about us. We're a danger, a scourge to dragonkind..." Releasing the thankful chicken, which squawked and ran towards the nearest exit, she put her head to her talons as she knelt on the ground. Hesitantly, not knowing how the strange, still unnamed hybrid would react, Starrysky put his tail around her neck to comfort her and rested it on her shoulder. "It's not your fault," he said, putting on a brave smile. He didn't know what she had been through, or if he would go through it as well, but he still felt sympathy. Whatever it was, it scared her. Scared her so much that she flinched violently when his tail landed, before realizing who it was. Sniffling slightly, she stood again, wobbling as she stepped away from him, her eyes unfocused. "Thank you, but that's not what anyone else thinks," she sighed, laughing softly, a merciless, angry laugh that chilled Starrysky to the bone. "We hybrids gotta stick together," she said, giving him a somewhat forced smile to match his brave one. They stood their in silence until the school as the bell rang, though it was muffled from the rain outside. "We should go to class," the grey dragon said, sprinting away before Starrysky could say anything else. He watched her back as she ran, wondering if he would see her some other time. Knowing how small this school was, he probably would. Somehow he felt connected to her. A close bond that hybrids had because they were different. He trotted into class just as the late bell rang. His teacher glared at him as he walked by. In fact, everyone was glaring at him. All the students in their desks and even the class scavenger seemed to have an annoyed look on it's face, but maybe he was just imagining things. Once the teacher decided that Starrysky had been stared at enough, he started droning on and on about the school rules. Stuff like how to act in different places, where flying was allowed, how you could not use any abilities such as fire-breathing and definitely no fighting. This last part was given with a pointed look at Starrysky, who shifted uncomfortably as the rest of the class quietly laughed. By the time class ended Starrysky couldn't wait to get out, bored out of his mind and paranoid that someone would laugh at him as he walked, yawning, to the prey center. As he was walking out he spotted the grey dragon he had met earlier this morning. Mood instantly improving, he ran towards her... only to see that in reality, she was fighting instead of walking calmly to the prey center. Three other dragons were attacking her. Pouncing on her wings. Slamming her down to the ground. She tried to hook them on her sharp, curved claws but was outnumbered and growing weak. She laid down helplessly. There was nothing she could do to defend herself. "No! Stop!" Starrysky bounded over to the grey dragon's aid, fury in his eyes and no mercy in his talons. Ignoring his fear of causing more attention to himself, he parried and blocked, shielding the gray dragon, although getting himself a few nasty scratches in the bargain. Giving a grateful look, she lay down, panting, occasionally attempting to help Starrysky but still too weak to really do anything. Eventually, panting himself, the one who was presumably the leader stopped fighting. The other two noticed and stopped as well, standing at the leader's side. "Three moons, another hybrid! You will pay for this..." he growled, motioning towards a nasty scratch above his eye that Starrysky wasn't sure was actually caused by him. "I'll tell the principal how you so brutally attacked us!" "You were fighting first!" Starrysky yelled back, voice embarrassingly high-pitched in fear and excitement. "I didn't do anything, I was just protecting my friend!" The leader smirked. "I don't think you'll be so sure of yourself once in the principal's office." He pointed his talon at Starrysky, motioning to the dragons beside him, who instantly grabbed the hybrid's wings and steered him down the hall. "Come on," one of them grunted in Starrysky's ear. "Let's get this over with." Once they were in the office the offensive group tried to look weak and helpless. "This... hybrid tried to kill us!" the leader cried, his cronies exaggeratedly weeping. Starrysky was goaded into speaking at that point, his voice quiet at first, then rising. "That's not true! They were hurting my friend. I was defending her!" he protested. "And who is this friend of yours?" the principal asked, narrowing her eyes in distrust. Starrysky looked down, voice quiet again. "I never got her name...." "Boys, you are free to go." the principal said, waving her talons at the bullies. "Except for you, hybrid." "They started it, I swear..." Starrysky sighed miserably. "I don't care who started it! You should be lucky I let you into this school with you being a hybrid. Why didn't you go to that stupid school? Jade Mountain, isn't it, with that idiotic 'oh all dragons are equal and everyone is special!' philosophy? Instead of ruining my school's reputation by starting fights for your... imaginary 'friends'." The principal slammed her talons on the table and looked Starrysky in the eyes. He stayed silent, fearful that if he said anything she would rip him to pieces. "You're suspended from my school until further notice but don't be surprised if you get a note saying you're expelled... you moon-forsaken hybrid," she added. Starrysky tried to keep it together as he ran out into the hallway, but soon had tears streaming down his face. Trying to hide it, he ran towards where the fight had been, hoping to see the grey dragon. She had already fled the scene, and only a few blood stains on the floor betrayed that there had been a fight. Starrysky was the only one in the hall, scratches bleeding and face pitiful, blood and tears intermingling as he stared, unbelieving, at where the other hybrid had been. What happened to 'we hybrids gotta stick together'? he thought bitterly. Around the corner, hidden by a tall statue, the grey dragon watched as Starrysky shook his head and walked away. Smirking with success, she wiped the grey paint off of her scales. Hybrids would not be welcomed in this school... and she would do anything to keep them out. Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete) Category:Collaborations